Tag Archive: Facebook

The micro-news behemoth has jumped into the music game. So, what’s in it for you?

Today, Twitter finally rolled out its new music app, which is called Twitter #music. The company’s ambitions are predictably grand, calling the app “a new service that will change the way people find music, based on Twitter.” As a streaming songs and discovery service, they are entering a crowded and growing field, one that leaves users with various similar options. Let’s try and figure out how Twitter #music differentiates itself.

How does Twitter #music work?

Twitter #music has five tabs for exploration: “Popular,” which collects music that is trending on Twitter; “Emerging,” which promises “hidden talent found in the tweets”; “Suggested,” which uses an algorithm to offer music it thinks you might be into; “#NowPlaying,” which displays music currently tweeted by people you follow, using that hashtag; and “Me,” which simply displays music by artists you follow. Clicking on a tile will play an artist’s song, and offer you more music to listen to, either by that specific artist or other similar artists.

Where can I get Twitter #music?

Twitter music is currently available on iPhones via the App Store, and mobile is where Twitter is really hoping their music service explodes. But there is also a web-based app, available atmusic.twitter.com. Twitter says that an Android app will be rolled out soon.

Twitter is smartly trying to put the information it collects from its massive database of 200 million users to work, and for that reason Twitter #music is more discovery-based than Spotify or Rdio. Twitter wants you to click around its app and discover new artists and songs — be it a song so popular you feel stupid for not knowing it, or an artist you’ve never heard of — which will allow it to hone its suggestions to you and users like you. It wants you to get lost in the app even if you weren’t searching for anything specific.

Is Twitter #music in competition with other services?

Listen to new song from Black Sabbath here: http://go.spin.com/10lLOF8

Not yet, at least. Twitter #music plays previews of songs via iTunes as its default setting, but Spotify or Rdio users can link with Twitter #music to hear full tracks through those services in the Twitter #music app.

Will Twitter #music actually help me discover new music?

That depends. It’s a service that is primarily geared to the casual listener, so music nerds may find less worth in it. It suggests artists like Fabolous, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill — major rap stars who have likely been heard by anyone with an interest in rap music — but also artists like Kilo Kish, Kano, and Little Dragon, who are not exactly underground, but at least a bit more unknown. Absolutely voracious music fans will probably still find themselves plumbing the depths of something like Spotify.

Which of Twitter #music’s features holds the most potential?

Either the “Suggested” or “Emerging” tabs, which do the most to expose users to artists or songs they may not have heard. Both have their biases — “Suggested” could go much deeper than it does, while “Emerging” currently offers mostly white people with guitars, even ones like the Appleseed Cast and the Pastels, who have long since “emerged” from wherever they came.

What’s wrong with the other features?

Well, the “Popular” tab barely varies from something like the popular charts on iTunes or Spotify, though acts such as Azealia Banks, Robin Thicke, and Little Mix manage to slip in amongst the usual suspects Pitbull and Taylor Swift. Otherwise, Twitter #music is highly dependent on active engagement with musicians on Twitter by you and the people you follow. If you only follow 20 musicians on Twitter or don’t have friends that actively tweet about what they’re listening to, the “#NowPlaying” and “Me” tabs will be very limited.

If I follow a musician on Twitter, why do I need an app to discover their music?

This is probably the most obvious piece of evidence that reveals Twitter #music as an app for Twitter users that aren’t voracious music listeners. If you follow a musician on Twitter and keep up with their work, or are aware of artists similar to those you follow on Twitter, than the app will hold less appeal to you than to others.

Does Twitter #music have potential?

Sure. If musicians begin to release music consistently via tweets, the “Me” tab could become a useful clearinghouse for new music you want to check for. The “Popular” tab also does attempt to quantify exactly which artists are the most popular on Twitter, which beforehand was a process that was decidedly more arduous. Also, as more people use Twitter #music, the app’s algorithms will improve.

The alt-metal guitarist looks back on the band’s first release, and drops some hints about upcoming efforts

“I grew up with double-gatefold vinyl, and I didn’t use the cover for cleaning my pot,” deadpansTool guitarist Adam Jones — who incidentally doesn’t smoke weed — about why album art still matters to him. “The visual element is something we’re losing. I think our society is going into a forced minimalist period and people don’t care.”

The more pressing subject, though, is the limited-edition, art-jacked 21st-anniversary reissue ofOpiate, his band’s swelling, heavy debut release. For an outfit that has gone to painstaking lengths to impress its fans with eye-popping visuals, including the lenticular jewel case for their 1996 album Ænima and stereoscopic goggles for 2006’s 10,000 Days, the group’s guitarist-art director isn’t holding back this time. The reissue will feature new illustrations by Iron Man artist Adi Granov and innovative packaging designed by Mackie Osborne, Jones’s friend (and the wife of Melvins frontman King Buzzo). Tool have prepared five different versions of the artwork for the reissue (out March 26), limited to 5,000 copies total, and each will contain new artwork to view with the 10,000 Days goggles.

When the EP came out in 1992, those genre-defying sounds fit right in with L.A.’s nascent alt-metal scene, which at the time included Jane’s Addiction, Rage Against the Machine, Rollins Band and comedy rockers Green Jellö. Opiate‘s “Hush” addressed issues of the time like censorship, while the masturbation-themed “Part of Me” foreshadowed future Tool gross-outs like “Stinkfist.” The raw live recording of “Jerk-Off,” which the band recorded at the loft where Green Jellö lived, and the seductively hypnotic title cut revealed the band’s taste for early Swans and hardcore punk. The six-song collection was an extreme sampling of what the band would offer in the coming two decades. Read more here: http://go.spin.com/16Gkgcj

The salt-and-pepper-haired six-stringer, 48, spoke to Kory Grow for spin.com from his home, where he was spending a day “being a bum,” as he recovers from a marathon music-writing session for Tool’s new album.

This is the 21st anniversary edition of Opiate. Why did you skip the 20th?
We talked about doing it when it was the 20-year anniversary, but we were sort of un-serious. Then when the 21st anniversary came up, we considered it. Lately, we’ve been trying to write music and not doing any other projects that distract us.

Why did you decide to update the original release’s artwork?When we did the art for the original, we did it so fast. The record company was giving us input about what sells and what doesn’t, and we tried to ignore it. It’s nice to update it. It still features the image of the priest from the original. There are more ideas developed around it instead of just this one guy. I feel like Spielberg or Lucas updating their movies. It’s me thanking the fans, giving them something special.

The new artwork features illustrations by Iron Man artist Adi Granov. How did you hook with him?
He sent me a Facebook request, and I accepted it. He’s a huge Tool fan and I’m a huge fan of his artwork. He does this very uncanny perspective that looks like it’s done with a computer but it’s not. Originally we talked about doing comics projects together. I’ve been developing comics ideas, and we’ll get to that when I finish the Tool record and he gets through his big workload. But when the Opiate thing came up, he said he would absolutely do it. I sent him some really quick, crappy sketches, because that’s all you need to push someone like him in the right direction. And he did an amazing job. He’s just the bomb. I can’t wait for our fans to see it and hope everyone appreciates it.

What went through your mind when you listened to Opiate again?
A lot of things. I’m proud of what we did. We worked hard, and it’s this little photograph or postcard from that time. It’s like a time machine.

What songs stood out to you most?
The live tracks, “Cold and Ugly” and “Jerk-Off,” which we don’t play anymore. I kind of miss them. Something else that stood out were the themes of Opiate and the way all the songs lead to [the title track]. It’s more the feeling of the record that hit me. It’s hard to describe.

You recorded the live songs at Green Jellö’s loft. What was that show like?
It was so strange. We wanted to record some live songs, so we rented a mobile truck, which is so funny these days because you can set up a laptop and do a better job. The mobile truck had all these spidering, webby cables stretching into a two-story loft. It was kind of chaotic. And there were just lots of problems with people who came. They were too drunk. You can hear this total idiot who climbed up into the rafters, and nobody could get to him, and he was heckling us with a bullhorn. So you hear Maynard make the comment about a dreadlocked idiot. [Sighs] Overall, the performances were really good. In the press, I’ve read that it was the first time we ever played, but it wasn’t. We were signed. We were recording Opiate. I think we were hungry and we really wanted to bleed and chew glass to get a good performance captured. I was very happy when I heard what we did.

In past interviews, you’ve said the songs on Opiate were your hardest-hitting tracks at the time. You also seemed a little ambivalent about how that cast Tool as a “metal band.”
I feel then and now that we are metal. But we’re not traditional cookie-cutter metal, so we’ve always had trouble with people on the marketing side of the fence trying to push our band in different ways. Every time we did interviews back then, journalists wanted to compare us to Biohazard or some other band. And we’d just go, “Well, I think it’s kind of different.” So it’s hard.

The title track has popped up often in your live sets. You’ve collaborated with a lot of people over the years on that song in concert. Do any particular performances stand out?
We’ve always had songs we could pull someone into. We wrote “Bottom” [for Undertow] and asked Henry Rollins to do a little spoken word in the middle. It would have been nice to have someone during the “Opiate” thing. Instead, we’ve had everybody that we’ve possibly run into play drums during the middle of it, or do spoken word, play a solo. Zach De La Rocha did a cool spoken-word section one time. And Heitham Al-Sayed from Senser did a really cool, little Arabic thing one time. We’ve been very fortunate to have our peers and people we really respect come up and contribute.

On that note, what did you think of Limp Bizkit’s “Opiate” cover?
It’s great being appreciated by anybody; be it some band that has much different tastes than yours or a band with a different approach. I heard it once. I thought it was cool.

Since you just finished this Opiate reissue, how does it compare to the Tool record you’re working on now?We’re older guys now. The band has changed drastically. We’re very distant people now and have our own lives. It’s always been like that. It’s been a collective perspective even from the start, but now it’s much more diverse. And I’m not saying that’s bad. It’s just different. So writing is a different perspective now. It’s taken a little longer. And besides that, we’ve had a couple major setbacks that we’re recovering from. I’m calling March “March Madness” because I’ve been really trying to kick ass and focus on this thing and get it to a point where we’re all happy. I really love those guys. And people grow and they change; it’s just like a relationship. You just have to compromise and respect each other. It’s just like life. It’s like anything else. That’s where it’s at.

As all of you know by now, Blink 182‘s Travis Barker bailed on coming out here for Soundwave due to his fear of flying (and lets be honest – the dude has a right to be fearful of flying – but he could have figured out he couldn’t do it a lot earlier in the piece).Soundwave promoter AJ (ironically handled @iamnotshouting) took to twitter to publicise his anger at Travis’s change of heart. Read more here: http://bit.ly/W7obO0

The skinsman, who was with the thrash legends from 1981 through 1986, returning in 1987 and staying until 1992 and then returning again in 2002, posted a note on his Facebook last night to share the news that he was being replaced for the Australian tour.

Lombardo is saddened and shocked by the situation and judging from his open letter to fans, it wasn’t up to him and he found it in a shady way. Some internal financial issues seem to be at the root of Lombardo’s dismissal for this tour and possibly beyond.

Metal Sucks reports that the drummer has been replaced by Joe Dette for the Aussie tour. Dette played with both Slayer and Testament in the ’90s, but did not record with either band.

Statement From Dave Lombardo Regarding Slayer Australian Tour 2013:

“I want to personally apologize to all of our fans in Australia who have bought tickets for the tour expecting to see me in my usual place on the drums.

So that you all know the truth, as of the end of the business day on February 14th, I was notified that I would not be drumming for the tour in Australia. I’m saddened, and to be honest I am shocked by the situation.

Last year, I discovered 90% of Slayer’s tour income was being deducted as expenses including the professional fees paid to management, costing the band millions of dollars and leaving 10% or less to split amongst the four of us. In my opinion, this is not the way a band’s business should operate. I tried rectifying it by letting my bandmates know, and Tom [Araya] and I hired auditors to figure out what happened, but I was denied access to detailed information and the necessary back up documents.

Lauren Maffeo from thenextweb.com suggest 30 apps for Android, iPhone and iPad to get your fingers moving. You may read here for complete reviews http://tnw.co/XdUF7m

Android

Audiotool Sketch

From drum machines to bass lines, this sound sequencing app emulates three various devices. Tempo changes and pattern switches aid the multi-touch ability to control each device’s output signal. And since Audiotool Sketch is built around the same audio engine as Audiotool, full power audio’s a given. ($3.99)

AutoRap

Does your inner Hova need a hug? AutoRap corrects bad rapping by matching spoken syllables to any beat, using Smule’s “rappification” technology to let you create your own original raps or AutoRap from a Premium Songs Catalogue including Tupac and the Beastie Boys. Visualizations match the beat of your raps, and sharing capabilities via email, Facebook and Twitter let you share your glory with the world. (Free)

A programmable, customized drum machine, ability to create beats while playing with songs live and pattern based music composition let you set drum instrumentals to a rap, rock or hip hop beat. ($3.99)

Real time playback and editing features erase the need to wait for sound prior to editing. Ability to save and load custom drumkits also makes this beat composer ideal for live performances or solo samplers. ($3.99)

A catalogue of ivory ticklers-updated daily-guides you through the notes, rhythm and tempo of each piece while giving you ultimate control by touching beams of light. Sharing capabilities on platforms including Facebook and Google+ mean your personal rendition of “Ave Maria” or “Call me Maybe” could soon be the world’s to hear. (Free)

Music Matrix

Inspired by Yamaha Tenori On, this integrated cloud-based sharing system offers 8 pages of 16×16 music sequencer matrix. Various lead instruments and flexible Scale & Key alterations let you merge notes with various instruments and percussions to design your very own music and ringtones. And if you want to sell the app with your name and company logo included, give them a ring! ($1.26)

Poweramp Music Player

This comprehensive music player supports files including MP3, WAV, WMA and more, while key features such as crossfade, lyrics/files support and mono mixing make it THE Android music player.

“Drag-n-drop” editing controls, fine-tuning options and support by audio formats such as MP3 allow anyone to create a custom ringtone up to 40 seconds long. An upgrade to Ringtone Maker Pro costs $0.99 cents and removes adverts.

Facing facts, there are loads of these ringtone creation apps on Google Play. But Ringtone Maker is one of the old stalwarts on the block and it’s been tearing up the charts for ages. It has already crossed the 40 million install mark. Reviews say that it’s still one of the best out there, though a recent update appears to have removed the ability to fade out the end of a track.

Simply speaking into the app currently downloaded by 9 million worldwide users enables Smule-invented technology that turns speech into music. This official app of famed auto tuners the Gregory Brothers (known for auto-tuning already viral videos into such musical art as “Backin Up Song (feat. Diana)” and “Bed Intruder Song”) allows you to make your own kind of music-even if nobody else sings along. (Free)

Ultimate Guitar Tabs

With a collection of 400,000 tabs to choose from-the world’s largest database-you can learn and practice your favorite songs on the go. Adding tabs to your Favorites makes them available for offline browsing, while various Top 100 Tabs lists help you organize by bass, chords and more. In-app bonus: Tab Note, an add-on, offers access to more than 150,000 interactive tabs. ($2.99; Tab Pro available in-app for $3.99)

No score? No worries. Scrolling guides across the screen offer 88 pieces of famous music to try, with songs designated for play either with one or both hands. ($1.99)

GarageBand

GarageBand turns iOS collections into full recording studios, whether you’re a pro or have never played a note. The multi-touch keyboard, acoustic and electronic drum kits and instrument creation from the sounds made on your keyboard all let you play your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch like a literal instrument. A stroke of the finger on Smart Strings lets you conduct a string orchestra, and you can use your iOS device to play or record music live with up to three friends. ($1.29)

Gigbaby!

Even rehearsal’s gone digital. Whether karaoke or remixes fit your taste, Gigbaby! uses network sharing to exchange audio tracks with anyone-even if the tracks are incomplete. Each group member can record their own tracks, then swap them to compose a whole song.

It’s a bit of a play along how producers have shared partial tracks with each other for years. Whether they use something like AOL Instant Messenger, Skype or even Soundcloud, the collaboration methods have led to some of the greatest tracks in history.

Missing a lyric? This database of lyrics for more than six million songs will keep you up to speed. You can also browse UK/US hits and watch their videos on YouTube. Bonus for Windows 8 lovers: MusiXmatch is offered on this system, as well as on Android. (Free)

NanoStudio

Virtual analogue synthesizer? Sample trigger pads? When musical genius strikes, these features and more make NanoStudio a gem to have on the go. Compose and arrange your music in real time, then share it on SoundCloud on or away from your desktop. A “16 Instrument” in-app purchase enhances the experience for newer devices, while highly optimized chorus and bitcrusher effects let you run several at once. ($14.99)

Figure by Propellerhead

The morning commute livens when you can play drums with your fingers. Those drums, (powered by Reason’s Kong drum machine), plus bass and lead parts that use Reason’s Thor synthesizer, make music with ease on the iPhone4 or higher.

Propellerhead is a long-time name in the music industry. The included drum samples are second to none, and the ability to record your samples then mix them with other tracks when you get back home is a great selling point.

Augmented reality will be big in years to come. In the world of music apps, TableDrum leads the way now. Syncing the sound of any object offers a real time response of drum sounds, which then link to your choice of high quality drum sounds. For a bridge between digital/physical worlds, this one’s a winner. ($0.99)

Voice Jam

Many musical apps are renowned for instrumentals; this one makes your voice the instrument. A powerful audio looper records sounds while playing them back in a repeating loop. And since VoiceJam was designed as a live performance tool, you can harmonize, add rhythms with your voice and perform/record a whole song from scratch. ($6.99)

Yamaha TNR-i

An app that combines rhythm melody on the grid, Yamaha TNR-1 musically and visually “places” sounds based on intuition. Users can also play 16 tones simultaneously, and six different performance modes per layer (including Push Mode to change tones while performing and Draw Mode to play songs in response to your fingers) leave options open.

TNR-i is based off of an older instrument from Yamaha called the TENORI-ON. But with a new, multi-screen interface, you can do much more with the digital version than the hardware would ever have allowed.

iPad

bleep!BOX

Samples? Not on this app. A custom iPad interface generates every sound in realtime, and offers 50+ synthesizers, eight waveforms and live performance modes. Also available on iPhone, you can load patterns made on your mobile and upload them to desktop via bleep!BOX Plugin. ($5.99)

Feeling animated? Glitchamaphone lets you create and edit your own compositions using up to five animated characters playing various fun instruments. Various features, including animations and environmental effects, change in response to your musical style, while three varied settings/environments each offer their own sound. ($1.99, normally $2.99)

IK Multimedia DJ Rig for iPad

Music Radar’s Si Truss calls it one of the best iOS DJ apps out there. For professionals, this can’t be beat; multiple deck modes and controls, three crossfader curves and professional pitch control for BPM adjustments make this one a must. ($19.99).

KORG iMS-20

A complete music production app, Korg MS-20 analog synth with patching capability works alongside a 16-step analog sequencer based on Korg’s SQ-10. iMS-20 offers dual Kaoss Pads that create music with one stroke, while a seven channel mixer creates 14 different master effects. ($29.99)

Morphwiz

The second app from Jordan Rudess has earned accolades from Keyboard Magazine and the Billboard Music App Awards-and it’s not hard to see why. Users can assign audio waveforms, round note pitches and control octave shifts, amongst other features. And its basis on the Haken Continuum Fingerboard will satisfy experienced users on platforms from iOS to Windows 8. ($9.99)

ReBirth for iPad

The Roland TB-303 bass synth, Roland TR-808 and 909 drum machines all in one app? Three key devices in the dance and rap music spheres use FX sequences, fully featured pattern sequencers, a Tempo-synced digital delay and more to create tracks so good, the built in sharing features will be a must. ($9.99)

Scape

Bloom Creators Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers use Scape to make various sounds, processes and compositional rules react to one another, creating new music. 15 original scapes can be saved to a gallery, added to a playlist or shared by email. Call it the thinking man’s music maker. ($5.99)

Studio Track

This app does for en route musicians what DJ Rid does for on-the-go DJs. WiFi synching, file import/export capabilities via email, stereo output meters and more make song recording away from your desktop a dream. ($19.99 for a limited time)

touchABLE

Thinking about buying a controller for Live? Consider this app, where your finger navigates a live set and automaps tracks as well as parameters. No midi-mappings needed-toucABLE uses LiveOSC to communicate with the LiveAPI. And Dual-User-Mode lets you tweak the same set with two iPads. ($24.99)

Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question. For more information, please see our Terms of Service.

Loudwire reports the metal shop won the court ruling after the band challenged them in court trying to defend their trademark. Now the metal shop – Metallica Manufacturing can use the trademark in its day to day business.

“It was a very innocent choosing of such a name from a 12-year-old kid,” said Bill Lawson, Owner, Metallica Manufacturing, BurnabyNow reported.

Though the name for the metal shop was chosen in the late 1990’s and Metallica was founded in 1981, the name Metallica looked right as it matched the trade, said Lawson.

first off, the new album. it’s got a title (Comedown Machine). it’s got artwork (see right). it’s got a release date (3/26 in the U.S. and 3/25 in the U.K. for other international release dates, best to check your local media for upcoming news). you can also preorder it in the band’s store. head over to thestrokes.com for more.

next up, the single…

the first official single is called “all the time” and we’ll have it ready for you on 2/19 when it will be available as an instant download for anyone that preorders “Comedown Machine” @ iTunes or the strokes store.

hopefully you’ll be hearing it on the radio before then though. if not, call your local radio stations and ask them to play “all the time”… they’ll have the track in house by valentine’s day, but probably not before.

that’s right, free. in case you haven’t heard, last friday, we posted a free song from “Comedown Machine” atthestrokes.com. it’s called “one way trigger”. it won’t be free forever so go download your copy now or you’ll have to wait for the full-length album to come out soon.

oh, and if you’re one of the new folks to join our list through this promo, now’s probably a good a time as any to say “welcome!” from all of us. so, welcome! you’ll be hearing from me plenty more as we get closer to 3/26, though i think that’s just about enough for now.

About the Hollywood Foreign Press Association:
Founded in the 1940′s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of LA based overseas journalists who sought to bridge the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from the hardships of war through film. Sixty-eight years later, members of the HFPA represent 55 countries with a combined readership of 250 million in some of the world’s most respected publications. Each year, the organization holds the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe® Awards, which have enabled the organization to donate more than $12 million to entertainment related charities and scholarship programs. For more information, please visit http://www.goldenglobes.org, and follow us on Twitter (@goldenglobes) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/goldenglobes) for exclusive celebrity videos and up to the minute Golden Globes news!
The final results are known only by the accounting firm and are kept secret until the announcement at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.